Polymer &#34;Cane&#34; Extruder

ABSTRACT

A polymer clay “cane” extruder that is comprised of a solid rod and a hollow tube that is made of acrylic. The tool is used for cutting polymer clay slices of various uniform and consistent shapes, which includes cylindrical, square, and triangular shapes. This tool gives uniform shape and size to each slice of polymer cane when compressed and extruded, which holds its shape and aids in cutting uniform slices of the clay “canes” with little to no distortion. It does not require any excessive force for cutting canes. A polymer clay “cane” extruder is very useful for making canes that are used in jewelry articles, such as beads, pendants, bracelets, and neckpieces and/or other arts and crafts related projects.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

MICROFICHE

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the art of forming shapes of polymer clay. In particular, the present invention relates to a tool and method for cutting polymer clay slices of various uniform and consistent shapes.

Background of the Invention

Polymer clay techniques have been widely used in art and craftsmanship for several years. As its name implies, polymer clay is a pliable and blend-able polymer compound. It is not true clay, as clay is fine silicate particles suspended in water, whereas polymer clay is fine polyvinyl chloride (PVC) suspended in plasticizer. However, polymer clay can be used much like clay.

Polymer clay is versatile. It can be blended with dozens of colors, such as paints, to make the desired colors. Since the color is inherent in the particles, the artists or crafters can also work two or more colors together, without blending them, for special effects, such as cane working and marbling. The clay's pliability and ductility allow artists or crafters to use techniques from glasswork, textile arts, and sculpture. Furthermore, polymer clay doesn't dry out, so they can sculpt and form it without worrying about a time limit.

Artists or crafters can cover anything (as long as it won't melt or burn at the low firing temperatures) with a veneer of polymer clay: wooden boxes, picture frames, mirrors, and tableware. One popular application is jewelry. Polymer clay can be used to make beads, pendants, bracelets, and neckpieces. Small sculptures and buttons are other possibilities. Clay artists have developed techniques to give polymer clay the appearance of granite, jade, amber, coral, turquoise, and ivory. Its flexibility means that they can make pieces in shapes and sizes that wouldn't be possible with actual stone.

Polymer clay is a fantastic medium to use when making jewelry, and a great hobby for all ages. It is a man made, non-toxic craft material that is made of tiny particles of PVC (poly vinyl chloride), pigments, and a liquid plasticizer. Forming polymer clay jewelry has become a very popular craft or art form. Typically, such jewelry items are formed by hand, or sometimes by rolling with a makeshift device, such as cut plastic (PVC) pipe found only in round shapes. There is always a lack of uniformity and lack of precision forming in the beads that are produced by hand forming.

The present invention addresses the above described use of polymer clay for making jewelry and other arts and crafts articles by providing a tool that is needed for the purpose. As such, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for a new and improved clay extruder tool, as set forth by the present invention, which addresses the problems of ease of use as well as effectiveness in construction in providing the useful tool for polymer clay artists. In this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of the polymer clay arts now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a clay extruder tool for cutting uniform slices of polymer clay and a method of doing so. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved polymer clay extruder that has all of the advantages of the prior art, and none of the disadvantages.

Accordingly, it is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a tool for cutting polymer clay slices of various uniform and consistent shapes.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a tool made from clear acrylic in various shapes.

It is yet another aspect of the present invention where the tool provides uniform pieces of polymer canes without applying any excessive force.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide polymer canes that can be combined to create sheets to make jewelry.

Additionally, the polymer canes can also be used to make other art projects with little to no distortion.

In further aspect, the tool is specifically designed for polymer clay artists, and can be used at home.

It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a new and improved polymer clay extruder tool that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.

It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a new and improved polymer clay extruder tool that is of a durable and reliable construction.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the invention as described herein, including the detailed description which follows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates the partial prospective top view of a polymer clay extruder in the invention with a circular head.

FIG. 2 illustrates the partial prospective top view of a circular extruded polymer clay in the invention with a circular head.

FIG. 3 illustrates the prospective view of measurements of a hollow extruded tubing of a polymer clay extruder in the invention with a circular head.

FIG. 4 illustrates the partial prospective top view of a polymer clay extruder in the invention with a rectangular head.

FIG. 5 illustrates the partial prospective top view of a rectangular extruded polymer clay in the invention with a rectangular head.

FIG. 6 illustrates the prospective view of measurements of a hollow extruded tubing of a polymer clay extruder in the invention with a rectangular head.

FIG. 7 illustrates the partial prospective top view of a polymer clay extruder in the invention with a triangular head.

FIG. 8 illustrates the partial prospective top view of a triangular extruded polymer clay in the invention with a triangular head.

FIG. 9 illustrates the prospective view of measurements of a hollow extruded tubing of a polymer clay extruder in the invention with a triangular head.

FIG. 10 illustrates the prospective view of various sizes and shapes of a polymer clay extruder in the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Various aspects of the illustrative embodiments will be described using the terms commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced with only some of the described aspects. For purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials, and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the illustrative embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, well-known features are omitted or simplified in order to not obscure the illustrative embodiments.

Referring to the drawings, specifically to FIG. 1 of the drawings therefo is shown a hollow polymer clay “cane” extruder with a circular shape head 1 made of clear acrylic for providing a structure for cutting polymer clay slices of various uniform and circular shapes.

Referring to the drawings, specifically to FIG. 2 of the drawings therefo is shown an circular shape polymer clay 2 cut from the polymer clay “cane” extruder with a circular shape head 1.

Referring to the drawings, specifically to FIG. 3 of the drawings therefo is shown the measurements on the clay for the hollow polymer clay “cane” extruder with a circular shape head 1 made of clear acrylic for providing a structure for cutting polymer clay slices of various uniform and circular shapes. The hollow extruded tubing measuring 4″ in length and solid extruded acrylic rods measuring 6″ in length. The thickness of the tube wall is 1/16″.

Referring to the drawings, specifically to FIG. 4 of the drawings therefo is shown a hollow polymer clay “cane” extruder with a rectangular shape head 3 made of clear acrylic for providing a structure for cutting polymer clay slices of various uniform and rectangular shapes.

Referring to the drawings, specifically to FIG. 5 of the drawings therefo is shown an rectangular shape polymer clay 4 cut from the polymer clay “cane” extruder with a rectangular shape head 3.

Referring to the drawings, specifically to FIG. 6 of the drawings therefo is shown the measurements on the clay for the hollow polymer clay “cane” extruder with a rectangular shape head 3 made of clear acrylic for providing a structure for cutting polymer clay slices of various uniform and rectangular shapes. The hollow extruded tubing measuring 4″ in length and solid extruded acrylic rods measuring 6″ in length. The thickness of the tube wall is 1/16″.

Referring to the drawings, specifically to FIG. 7 of the drawings therefo is shown a hollow polymer clay “cane” extruder with a triangular shape head 5 made of clear acrylic for providing a structure for cutting polymer clay slices of various uniform and triangular shapes.

Referring to the drawings, specifically to FIG. 8 of the drawings therefo is shown an triangular shape polymer clay 6 cut from the polymer clay “cane” extruder with a triangular shape head 5.

Referring to the drawings, specifically to FIG. 9 of the drawings therefo is shown the measurements on the clay for the hollow polymer clay “cane” extruder with a triangular shape head 1 made of clear acrylic for providing a structure for cutting polymer clay slices of various uniform and triangular shapes. The hollow extruded tubing measuring 4″ in length and solid extruded acrylic rods measuring 6″ in length. The thickness of the tube wall is 1/16″.

Referring to the drawings, specifically to FIG. 10 of the drawings therefo is shown a hollow polymer clay “cane” extruder with a plastic rod 7 for pushing the polymer clay to be cut in various several shapes and sizes like small, medium and large.

The polymer clay “cane” extruder 1 in cylinder style is comprised of a solid rod 17 and a clear tube 18, which are represented together in assembly. The cylindrical shaped solid rod 17 is 6 inches in length with etched measuring lines in the 4 inch area. The clear hollow tube 18 is made up of acrylic. It measures 4 inches in length and ⅛ inches in wall thickness. Shown below are Tables I, II and III illustrating the different dimensions of the polymer clay “cane” extruder that embodies the principles and concepts of the present invention is described.

In some preferred embodiments, the present invention provides a useful polymer clay “cane” extruder tool 1 that specifically designed for polymer clay artists to cut uniform slices of their polymer canes. These polymer canes can be combined to create “sheets” to make jewelry and/or other arts and crafts related projects. This tool gives uniform shape and size to each slice of polymer cane, when compressed and extruded, which holds its shape and aids in cutting uniform slices of the clay “canes” with little to no distortion. The purpose of the invention is to provide a comfortable usage of the tool without any external pressure or excessive force.

The table lists the dimensions of the different polymer extruder and the various sizes and shapes. The tables below are Tables 1, 2 and 3 illustrating the different dimensions of the polymer clay “cane” extruder that embodies the principles and concepts of the present invention is described herein:

TABLE 1 ITEM ITEM# ITEM DESCRIPTION ITEM# DESCRIPTION OD ID OD ID 101A 0.1 TUBE 1/8, wall 1.25 1 101B Rod, tol = +.005 0.937 — thickness, tol = +/−.030 102A 0.75 TUBE 1/8, wall 1 0.75 101B Rod, tol = +.005 0.6875 — thickness, tol = +/−.030 103A 0.50 TUBE 1/8, wall 0.75 0.5 101B Rod, tol = +.005 0.4375 — thickness, tol = +/−.030 104A 0.375 TUBE 1/8, wall 0.625 0.375 101B Rod, tol = +.005 0.25 — thickness, tol = +/−.030 OUTSIDE INSIDE 105A 1.5 SQ TUBE 1/8, wall 1.75 1.5 101B solid, tol = +.005 — — thickness, tol = +/−.030 106A 0.87 SQ TUBE 1/8, wall 1.125 0.875 101B solid, tol = +.005 — — thickness, tol = +/−.031 107A 0.62 SQ TUBE 1/8, wall 0.875 0.625 101B solid, tol = +.005 — — thickness, tol = +/−.031 108A 0.37 SQ TUBE 1/8, wall 0.625 0.375 101B solid, tol = +.005 — — thickness, tol = +/−.030 109A 1.0 Triangula 1/8, wall 1.25 1 101B Solid triangle, — — thickness, tol = +/−.030 tol = +.005

TABLE 2 ITEM ITEM# ITEM DESCRIPTION OD ID ITEM# DESCRIPTION OD ID 109A 1.0 Triangula 1/8, wall 1.25 1 101B Solid triangle, tol = — — thickness, tol = +/−.030 +.005

TABLE 2 ASSEMBLY # DETAILED ITEMS #S 101C= 101A + 101  102C= 102 A + 102B 103C= 103 A + 103B 104C= 104 A + 104B 105C= 105 A + 105B 106C= 106 A + 106B 107C= 107 A + 107B 108C= 108 A + 108B 109C= 109 A + 109B

The invention also discloses the process for making polymer “canes”, which is elaborated as:

Preparation: First of all, the process begins by reducing the cane to fit easily in the polymer cane extruder. The cane should be pliable from resizing to provide the best result. Once the preparation of polymer clay is done, the process is further preceded by the cutting of canes.

Instruction for cutting polymer clay “canes”:

1. Mark the cane evenly with the cut marks. (This step is optional).

2. Spray the inside of the cane extruder with a water mist.

3. Insert the reduced polymer clay into cane extruder. The plastic rod 7 is used to tap the cane evenly so that it fits tightly in the extruder. The same rod is also used to push (extrude) the clay out of the cane extruder to the desired thickness.

4.With the end of the cane extruder, a sharp blade is used to cut the polymer clay in to cane slices. Furthermore, it must be compressed often so that the clay holds its shape in the extruder, rotating the tool between the cuts.

Clean Up: Remove the unused cane to prevent it from sticking inside of the extruder. Clean the tool with a baby wipe or soft cloth with rubbing alcohol. The polymer clay “cane” extruder is water resistant and cleans up with mild soap and water without causing any damage to the product.

Another embodiment discloses the usage of polymer clay canes in jewelry articles, such as beads, pendants, bracelets, and neckpieces. With some particular treatments, polymer-clay composites can also be used to make items with similar appearance of granite, jade, amber, coral, turquoise, and ivory. The polymer-clay composite is also useful in craftsmanship for the manufacturing of wooden boxes, picture frames, mirrors, tableware, small sculptures, and buttons.

With respect to the above description, it is to be understood that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly, and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and that all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. 

I claim:
 1. A polymer clay “cane” extruder tool for cutting polymer clay slices of various uniform and consistent shapes, which comprises: a) a solid rod, and b) a clear hollow tube,
 2. A polymer clay “cane” extruder of claim 1, wherein said tool is made of clear acrylic.
 3. A polymer clay “cane” extruder of claim 1, wherein said tool includes cylindrical, square, and triangular shapes.
 4. A polymer clay “cane” extruder of claim 1, wherein solid rod is 6 inches in length with etched measuring lines in the 4 inch area.
 5. A polymer clay “cane” extruder of claim 1, wherein said clear hollow tube is 4 inches in length and ⅛ inches thick.
 6. A polymer clay “cane” extruder of claim 1, wherein said tool, when compressed and extruded, holds its shape and aids in cutting uniform slices of the clay “canes” with little to no distortion.
 7. A polymer clay “cane” extruder of claim 1, wherein said tool is water resistant and requires mild soap and water for cleaning.
 8. A polymer clay “cane” extruder of claim 1, wherein said tool does not require any excessive force for cutting canes.
 9. A polymer clay “cane” extruder of claim 1, that is used for making jewelry articles, such as beads, pendants, bracelets, and neckpieces.
 10. A polymer clay “cane” extruder of claim 1 is used for arts and crafts related projects. 